Carlos Peter Reinelt (Shanghai) p.94-109
2023 Issue 01
Abstract
To understand the motivation behind choosing German as a Foreign language (GFL) as their major, the present study examined 75 Chinese college students from Peking University (N = 34) and Fudan University (N = 41). For the examination, an online questionnaire of 18 quantitative and 3 qualitative items was designed. The data led to three major findings: 1) the majority of students (N = 46) claimed that German was not their first choice major, 34 of whom stated they chose German because of limited choices due to their Gaokao score, 2) an independent samples t-test showed that whether German was their first choice or not functioned as a predictor for further motivation dimensions and, 3) in both groups the prospect of a possible study abroad in Germany has been stated as a higher motivation than an interest in German culture or possible benefits on the job market.